The present invention relates in general to bag slitting apparatus for opening a sealed bag, and in particular to a bag slitting apparatus for opening a sealed bag along an edge thereof and generally constructed as a spring-tensioned, opposing arm device wherein the inner surface of one arm thereof has a substantially flat blade for slitting a bag placed between the arms and wherein the outer surfaces of the arms are concavely contoured for simultaneous opposing receipt of a finger and thumb of a user.
Employment of sealed, usually transparent, plastic bags for housing various products is a well-accepted packaging approach for maintaining such commodities in a ready-to-use condition. Typical products include those produced in food, medical, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries where clean individual-item packaging is generally required. While such sealed bags are highly efficient in maintaining product integrity, access into the interior of a bag for retrieval of a packaged product therein housed many times is not convenient. In particular, a user may need to hand-tear a hole into the bag, or juggle the bag and its housed product while attempting to awkwardly use a cumbersome scissors, utility knife, razor blade, or the like to cut an opening through the bag wall. Not only are such approaches possibly hazardous to the user, they also can be damaging to the product housed in the bag.
In view of the above described obstacles, it is apparent that a need is present for an easily and conveniently usable bag opener. Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a conveniently operable bag slitting apparatus for opening a sealed bag along an edge thereof.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a bag slitting apparatus wherein opposing tensioned arm members cooperatively embrace the bag and present a non-pointed, generally flat blade there between for slitting the bag during linear apparatus movement.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a bag slitting apparatus wherein the opposing tensioned arm members have outer surface portions that are concavely contoured for simultaneous opposing receipt of a finger and thumb of a user.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent throughout the description thereof which now follows.
The present invention is a bag slitting apparatus for opening a sealed bag along an edge of the bag. The apparatus has a first arm having a first outer surface and a first inner surface, and a second arm having a second outer surface and a second inner surface. The first and second arms are in tensioned movable opposed relationship to each other such that the first and second inner surfaces are movably positionable against each other. One of these inner surfaces is a bladed inner surface having extending inwardly therefrom a non-pointed, generally flat, bag cutting blade, while the other inner surface has extending inwardly therefrom a cutting surface. Exteriorly, the first and second outer surfaces are concavely contoured for simultaneous opposingly-squeezing receipt of a finger and thumb of a user.
The apparatus is meant to be disposable once the blade becomes dull to thereby eliminate inadvertent mishaps such as those which can occur with a conventional utility knife while changing a blade. Depending upon use-environment, the apparatus can be fabricated of autoclavable material to thereby maintain clean-room conditions. Additionally, apparatus construction preferably provides smooth transitions of all surface structures to thereby inhibit contamination and resulting potential cross-contamination during subsequent use. As is apparent, the bag slitting apparatus here defined provides operational utility while supporting convenience, efficiency, and safety in retrieving packaged products.